Portland Fire point guard Carla Leite has set a new franchise single-season assists record, surpassing the previous mark held by Ukari Figgs since 2002.
Leite achieved the milestone during a recent game against Seattle after delivering a pick-and-roll pass to Megan Gustafson for a driving layup, as reported by OregonLive on July 7, 2026.
Figgs had recorded 104 assists during the 2002 season, which was the team's final year before a 24-year hiatus.
Leite's Remarkable Improvement
The second-year guard has significantly elevated her performance after averaging 7.2 points and 2 assists in 37 games off the bench as a rookie for the Golden State Valkyries.
In 2026, Leite leads Portland with 15.2 points and 5.6 assists per game while playing 25.5 minutes as the primary starter, according to statistics from OregonLive and DraftKings Network.
Leite also tied Jackie Stiles' 2001 franchise single-game scoring record by dropping 32 points during a June 28 loss to Washington.
Her shooting efficiency has climbed substantially, rising from 38.7% from the field and 17.3% from beyond the arc as a rookie to 43.7% and 41% respectively in 2026.
"I don't think about like the statistics, you know, I just try like to read like the game correctly and like find my teammates on the court," said Leite.
"I don't really pay attention about that. If I have like 10 assists, I could be good.
If I can have five, like, I don't care. I try to be good on the court."
Reflecting on her rookie struggles, Leite said, "Last year was terrible. My rate at threes.
I was overthinking all the time last year. And this year I'm like, 'If you're open, you shoot, but with confidence.'"
Team and Coach Praise
Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama explained that the team purposefully structured its offensive strategy around Leite's on-court movements and ability to read opposing defensive schemes.
"Her shot selection has improved drastically," said Sarama.
"Like a lot of the focus early season was you showing Carla the types of shots we want with the ones we don't want.
I think she's just embraced that and getting to the rim more."
Sarama added that the young guard has made major strides because she understands the team's exact intentions against varying defenses.
"We really designed a lot of the offense around Carla," he said.
Teammate Bridget Carleton noted that Leite's developing vocal leadership on the floor has transformed the team's dynamic, helping her balance facilitation and aggressive scoring.
"You know, when you have the ball in your hands, you kind of have to like be bossy sometimes and tell them where to go.
So I think she's really embracing that now and she's getting more and more confident in like finding the balance," said Carleton.
"She's been really great finding the balance between like assisting and scoring.
Like, she knows when she needs to be aggressive and she knows when she needs to facilitate a little bit more and finding me and finding other shooters.
So yeah, she's been really great and obviously she's so young, so she's gonna continue to get better."
Megan Gustafson, who is currently averaging a career-high 11.9 points per game, praised Leite's floor vision and quickness, comparing her to the best European point guards in the world.
"I think they're some of the best in the world, to be honest," said Gustafson. "They have a great eye for the floor.
They see where people should be, where they are and where they're going to be. So just have a lot of appreciation for Carla."
Gustafson noted that Leite's speed effectively breaks down opposing defenses during games. "I'll just stand there and she just goes and gets a layup," she said, laughing.
Starting backcourt partner Sarah Ashlee Barker highlighted Leite's competitive nature and intense passion for the sport as major factors in her rapid development.
"That girl loves this game so much. She is so passionate.
She's so competitive," said Barker. "Just what she does every single day.
Like, I'm so proud of her and just her growth and how good she's going to be. Like, people just don't understand how good that girl is."
Portland developmental player Jordan Harrison stated that working alongside Leite and Oblak has been highly educational, adding that the public has only witnessed the beginning of Leite's true potential.
"I don't know if she knows how good she is, to be quite honest," said Harrison.
